OzBargain's Current Fave Mesh Wi-Fi? Moving to a New, Larger House and Need a Better System

herbus on 22/04/2022 - 07:26
Last edited 22/04/2022 - 07:28

Hi Gang

I currently have an Orbi RBK50, with the router servicing a 2-storey home and the satellite out in the garage to extend coverage to a granny flat out back. Most rooms in the house have wired ethernet, so mine and the 2 kids PC's, NAS, playstation and Nvidia Shield are all wired in and wifi only needs to support phones, tablets etc.

Will be moving to a larger home, single storey (so spread over a larger area). No wired ethernet and it's a rental so I have to squish my wishful thinking about mounting stuff and cabling it all up.

I spend half my life on OzBargain but don't see too many posts for router/wifi deals these days, so am keen to hear what the current favourite is, or what this outstanding community might suggest as ideal options.

What I'm hunting for:
- Must: wireless mesh to support seamless connectivity and avoid wiring/fixtures (can reposition and add more units if required).
- Must: support streaming and gaming concurrently, with best performance possible for gaming (ie low latency).
- Should: dedicated backhaul between mesh devices (I want to avoid mesh comms competing with device comms).
- Should: at least 1 ethernet port on mesh devices to allow PC's and other devices to best leverage the performance available (minimal lag for gaming etc).
- Optional: Wifi 6/6E (not a big deal right now as no devices we have support it, but good to have for future proofing).

The options I'm seeing are:

  1. A new Orbi system (eg RBKE963)
    Pros: can utilise my existing RBK50 satellite to extend, dedicated backhaul, eth ports
    Cons: Pricey and the controls/features don't scream value (current RBK50 works well, but not sure I want to keep investing in the Orbi ecosystem), not flexible - router can't be a satellite (firmware override a bit iffy based on hardware version?)

  2. Ubiquiti (DM or DM Pro)
    Pros: Love the concept and power/flexibility
    Cons: Think I'm ruling it out due to hardware mounting, more complexity to setup wireless mesh (then no dedicated backhaul)

  3. Google Nest
    Pros: We're a google household, otherwise meh!?
    Cons: No backhaul, not as high performance (especially range) as other options?

  4. Asus device mix that supports mesh (eg AC86U and/or tri-band models)
    Pros: easy to extend with variety of devices
    Cons: device mix could create bottlenecks if not same spec, needs PC running management software still?
    Question: if I have a couple of tri-band models for dedicated backhaul, will any other dual-band models connect to the backhaul band or is there risk they would connect to the band used by general devices (eg compete with other devices / impact performance on the tri-band models)?

  5. Asus ZenWifi / Netgear Nighthawk MKxx / Linksys Velop / Xiaomi / TPlink Deco
    Still researching these - Asus seems a solid options but still pricey. Want to avoid the Xiaomi due to console language etc (doesn't give me confidence re support, general use, etc). Deco seems good value-ish…

Any tips / guidance much appreciated!

Computing Wireless Router

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 22/04/2022 - 07:50
    +3

    TP-Link. Using M5 waiting for X60 deal for full ultra fast speed 1000/40.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/04/2022 - 07:58

      I am also waiting for x60 three pack to hit $399 again. Also have 1000/50

    • zebargaro on 22/04/2022 - 09:55
      +2

      I was planning to get the TP-Link ones but then I saw these comments about the routers sending web traffic to third party services. Now I’ll probably look for another brand.
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/11894579/redir

      • G-Bard on 23/04/2022 - 22:57

        Same concern with Chinese brannds

    • ChatPGT on 22/04/2022 - 10:56
      +1

      My experience with M5 is not great. Random drops and thinking of replacing them.

      • [Deactivated] on 22/04/2022 - 11:25
        +1

        no issues here have the 3 pack in a 40 square one level home, never drops out.

  • narbe on 22/04/2022 - 08:01
    +1

    Just get more satellites, I got a RBK50 I've been tempted to upgrade but there really is no solid reason.

    • timmypete on 22/04/2022 - 20:05

      OP I'm pretty sure your proposed option one won't work - I don't think last-gen Orbi RBK50 units are compatible with a new Orbi RBKE963 kit (because of the AC/AX differences). See this Netgear thread.

      However I know for sure that the older Orbi RBK20 series satellites are compatible with RBK50. I had a RBK23 3-pack for my apartment but only needed two units, and donated one satellite to a family member's house serviced by a RBK50 twin kit. The core differences between the two models is that the RBK50s are physically larger, have more ethernet ports and an additional discrete backhaul wireless interface inside.

      I can't really speak to the performance impacts of adding a lower spec unit to your mesh as the donor 23 satellite is ethernet-wired into the master unit and doesn't broadcast on the wireless backhaul channels (in this configuration it is rock-solid). If you go down this path I'd investigate whether ethernet is at all possible (including via a power over ethernet adapter) or look to put the 50 satellite at the extremity of your mesh and the 20 closer in - the additional radio and better antennas are probably more important as distance increases.

      You might also be able to find a second hand RBK50 kit, and I understand flashing a hub to act as a satellite isn't that difficult.

      • timmypete on 24/04/2022 - 10:28

        Correction: ethernet over power/Powerline adapter, not PoE.

    • kranix on 04/05/2022 - 22:51
      +1

      Test the Orbi out in your new home before spending money on new kit. Consider flashing them with Voxel firmware for improved reliability (PSA: Voxel is Russian). That works for me.

  • Shadowsfury on 22/04/2022 - 08:40

    I'm happy with Google Nest - have that in my apartment now, and had the 3 pack set up at my parent's place which is quite large

  • 87percent on 22/04/2022 - 08:44

    I have the original Google Wifi, and have been happy with it. I have been thinking it’s overkill for 4bd single storey house, but waiting for one of the wifi6 asus’ to go on sale to trial it

  • crazyguy on 22/04/2022 - 09:33
    +2

    Tenda MW-6

    • cods69 on 22/04/2022 - 09:45
      +3

      I've set up 3xMW6 at one house and 3xMW12+1xMW6 at another.
      Once set up they are fantastic, for the price. Get them when price reduces now and then.

  • CyberBlade on 22/04/2022 - 09:36
    +1

    Had Netgeat SBK50’s and they died on me, also, i found it unacceptable for netgear to put analytics on business routers. (Insight) and was not opt in or even opt out, the engineers themselves said they will not remove it, will not touch netgear again. (I see why they chant “friends dont let friends buy netgear)

    Currently TP link but require 10gb networking on their omada ecosystem, sadly, its “coming later” and only to the usa market at the moment, do love their stuff, stable AF for over a year now.

    Thinking of ubiquiti hardware, although its substituting lack of features for broken firmware.
    But when they work, they work just as well as TPlink.

    Note; Mesh is a buzzword you pay through the nose for, if the devices are 802.11k/v compliant, then they will “fast roam” between access points of the same name and password.

    In your case, you arent as anal as me.. so another RBK50 would suit. (As much as i hate netgear for what they pulled, it suits you best if i remove my bias..)

    And RBK are the residential version of the SBK business ones.

    I ran two of them in my house when they came out (they’ve only gone up over the years lol, they launched at $400) and that covered my wood built house for 1/4 acre. Brick will be harder so a triset maybe best. But the stats say these things got range.. you wont have a drama with them.

    (It actually covered me for half of my street through a tin roof, that was legit funny!) :)

    So, just grow your ecosystem mate. You don’t have any major demands or reasons to change. :)

    Also, do not waste money on 6e, wifi is not for speed but convenience, you wanna move stuff fast, then ssd or ethernet cable. Because once you go 6e you will have 2 maybe 3 devices that use it, and by then, wifi 7 or alike is out.

    Wifi to me is just purely designed for convenience, so i am still N capable, no reason to go faster UNTIL a majority (more than half) of my shit is 6e and will actually use it.

    :)

  • ddhar on 22/04/2022 - 09:37

    Of the limited mesh systems I've installed for friends, I like the Asus Orbi or TP-Link Deco systems. Connectivity around the property (typically single-storey house with separate granny flat) is seamless. I think in your case you can just add another satellite?

    The Asus AiMesh system I use at home (Blue Cave + AC68U) works fine but suffers from poor roaming so Whatsapp calls often disconnect if I move around the house. It could be my specific units but it still does not instill much confidence in the AiMesh ecosystem.

  • karloco on 22/04/2022 - 09:44
    +1

    Consider Eero Pro 6. Switched from a Netgear Orbi AX4200 which was unstable and couldn't handle 60+ devices. All issues solved when I switched to the Eero.

    Only disadvantage of the Eero is the app doesn't recognise device Manufacturer/Type a as good as the Netgear so there are a lot of "unknown" devices.

  • HamBoi69 on 22/04/2022 - 09:53

    After using extenders for a long time we moved to Google Nest WiFi. As others have said it is worth it. With built-in Google Assistant, the sound is amazing from that perspective!
    In terms of the WiFi, we are currently with iiNet's Ultra-Broadband (cable) internet plan and with our high speeds of 500+ mbps download speeds we didn't want to compromise on this.
    The Google WiFi has slotted in perfectly and has maintained these speeds. It is also putting WiFi into parts of my house (and backyard) that haven't experienced WiFi previously.
    Before purchasing, I reviewed what Choice had said regarding these mesh systems and decided that the eero wouldn't cut it for me because for the same price I could get Google Assistant built-in. I know this doesn't suit everyone as they don't already have Google Assistant, but for me and my family in this instance we found it to be perfect!

    Speed test screenshot

  • zzymurgy on 22/04/2022 - 09:53

    I'm using a Deco X20 which is pretty much the only affordable option for wifi 6.

    I wouldn't go anywhere near Amazon or Google hardware.

    I've had great results with it, although the software won't allow you to turn off DHCP.
    You'd be suprised how many of your clients support wifi 6, both my personal and work laptop are very happy.

  • loropy9 on 22/04/2022 - 09:55

    Tp link deco x60 tripack gives great coverage in a two storey, but no backhaul. I believe x90 has backhaul, but pricier. You can mix match different deco models. Deco m9 at work works better than any extenders we’ve ever had through thick brick walls and over huge area.

  • Baa on 22/04/2022 - 10:47

    Please do not spend any money on Tenda, they have a lot of love here but I have found over two systems they are super unreliable. Both systems had the issue where if a node dropped out of the mesh network (with all points having ethernet backhaul) it just would reconnect. The only way I would pick it up was when the the internet would be super slow in a room and had to reboot the node to reconnect.

    I switched to Asus AIMesh and have not looked back, in the 3 months since I changed over it has been rock solid with no issues whatsoever. FYI I am using an old rt-ac88u paired with zenwifi. I was worried about mixing and matching but have had no real issues.

    I was thinking about going down the Ubiquiti path but couldn't justify the costs and already had a rt-ac88u sitting on hand.

  • Almost Banned on 22/04/2022 - 11:28

    I am a fan of the Tenda system.
    It is not, and has not been, perfect. I have lost connection with nodes, and had to reboot the primary to get them to reconnect. Also it is not always obvious when this happens.
    But, as has been said, for the price it is pretty good.
    There are other systems out there that may offer other benefits, and may be a little more stable, but for the price the MW6 3 pack I use is hard to beat.

  • macfudd on 22/04/2022 - 11:34

    I would wait until you move and see how your coverage actually is at the new house. A house we rented in the past was two story with the NBN connection in the front room. I ended up with a Unifi AP Pro in that room, then two 30m cables along the ceiling - one to a switch in the living room, the other upstairs to the switch in the study. Both of those rooms had Unifi AP Pro's too. Despite 3 wired access points we still had zones in the house where devices struggled to connect. A mesh system wouldn't have been viable without a device in every room.

    The house we own now is single story, same overall interior sqm as the two story but long and thin. The NBN connection is about 1/3rd of the way down the house but the construction is different so a single Unifi AP Pro is covering the whole house comfortably as well as the whole patio outside. Until I get around to getting an electrician to run ethernet to all the rooms I have plugged the spare two access points into older PC's that don't have wifi cards. Setting that up was literally a matter of switching one setting on the access points.

  • Bid Sniper on 22/04/2022 - 12:18

    Google Nest will not work with ISPs that use Vlan tagging like TPG.

    • zebargaro on 22/04/2022 - 12:49

      The workaround is to use the router/modem provided by TPG and plug in Google Nest to it instead.

      • Bid Sniper on 22/04/2022 - 13:54

        Increased power consumption

      • Twix on 09/05/2022 - 22:08

        Plugging in your Nest Wi-Fi to TPG's modem gives you what's called a double NAT and this isn't suitable for everyone. For casual web browsing and streaming Netflix you can get away with double NAT. A double NAT can break access to Plex, security cameras, remote access, servers, home automation and more.

        Swap to an IPoE ISP (Launtel, Telstra, Aussie Broadband, Superloop) to not have a double NAT when using Nest Wi-Fi.

  • G-Bard on 23/04/2022 - 22:59

    Anyone using d link ax1872 or ax1873?

  • Ulysses31 on 24/04/2022 - 12:45

    2x RBK50 in a large double storey. Phenomenal.

  • howdee on 09/05/2022 - 16:28

    I currently have the Netgear RBK40 (AC2200, router + satellite) and was looking to upgrade to either Asus Zenwifi XT8 (AX6600 2pk), Netgear Orbi RBK752 (AX4200 2pk) or TP-Link Deco X90 (AX6600 2pk). Would anyone recommend these ones, or another mesh wifi alternative?

  • Silver-Arrowz on 12/05/2022 - 20:49

    I went down the Ubiquiti DMP route.
    Costly but working in IT it's sort of a lab for me.

    I have set up a Netgear Nighthawk for a mate and it seemed pretty easy for him to manage from a mobile app.

    TP Link had some funny business going on so I'd steer clear of them.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/tbthjj/psa_newer_…

  • timmypete on 13/05/2022 - 18:12

    OP an RBK50 2pk deal was just posted. Could sort your extra satellite need, and I understand flashing base stations to act as a sat isn't hard.

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